Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
No, these activities are not the same thing. According to Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary,
Market means “to expose for sale in a market” (verb). Platform means “a raised flooring (such as a stage or dais) in a building on which speakers, theatrical performers, or other person show themselves to an audience” (noun)
In his book Platform, Get Noticed in a Noisy World, Michael Hyatt defines platform [Read more…] about Are marketing and building your platform one and the same?
Do you cringe at the mention of marketing? Many writers do.
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the verb market as “to expose for sale in a market.”
As a beginning writer (to whom I chiefly speak), my question to you is “What have you got to sell?” [Read more…] about Should marketing be your focus right now?
It feels like old home week here at the blog with another debut author interviewee returning to guest post. Today we hear from Kathy Nickerson about developing a marketing plan.
When a potential publisher told me, “We’d like to offer you a contract for your novel, Thirty Days to Glory,” I did the Happy Dance all around my kitchen. Then I read the second sentence: “But first we need to see your marketing plan.”
Right. Let’s see. Where did I put that file? [Read more…] about How to Brainstorm a Marketing Plan
I first met author J.A. Marx this summer when I interviewed her about her debut book, Destiny Defied. During that interview she spoke about publishing industry standards, so I asked her come back and share more.
J.A. has made a special offer for my readers with her post today. See the details at the bottom of this post.
Fiction writing is a form of art. It’s fluid. Like music and fine arts, it changes to express and reflect the shifting thought processes and beliefs of our culture.
This can madden or bless the writer, and I’ll sum up why in one word: Subjectivity
I entered Destiny Defied in a contest a few years back. Two judges’ responses:
Madden the writer: Agents and editors are equally biased for their own reasons, so research them before submitting anything.
Bless the writer: Write from your passion. Learn ALL the rules for writing before you start breaking those rules.
The essential standards (mentioned below) required [Read more…] about What Does the Publishing World Expect?
Platform, audience, tribe, fans, followers. Call it what you will, today’s writers must market themselves much more than in years past. In fact, there are many aspects of the writing world we must learn—unless you have a budget that allows you to hire someone to handle it.
In no special order, here are 11 blogs I follow that offer a tremendous amount of valuable free advice. (Like all businesses, several of these sites also offer their products for sale.)
Do you have blogs you follow that have been particularly helpful? Tell us about them in the comments.
Congratulations go to Amy Bovaird, our contest winner. She’ll receive a copy of Jeff Goins’ brand new book The In-Between. Email me at Deb@DebraLButterfield.com with your address and I’ll get it sent right out.
As you can see, I spent my weekend, redesigning, and I hope, making improvements to my website. I still have some work to do, but I’m learning CSS code as I go. We are all on this journey together, learning our craft and the tidbits of everything else that go with being a freelance writer.
Now, let’s move on to today’s marketing tip.
Whether it’s a tight economy or not, people like to get free stuff.
While you build your publishing credits and platform, you can market yourself (and any products you may have) by offering your readers a free eBook you’ve written, or a simple pdf document that focuses on your niche area of expertise (generally in exchange for their email address). Createspace has an eBook option, and I’ve done some research on Smashwords.com as well.
(I’m accepting guest blogs. Do you know about creating eBooks.)
A pdf is easily created on your computer and can be distributed to your readers directly via email, as a download on your website, or even through a mail service such as MailChimp.
Offering these items will build your mailing list, get your name out there, and give your readers a taste of your work (and ready for more). So make sure whatever you offer is the best you have to offer at that time.
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
Today I host author Angela D. Meyer who shares about marketing.
Welcome, Angela. Thank you for joining us and for sharing what you’ve learned along the way.
I started on this publishing journey with a lot of passion. It is just a matter of writing a good story, isn’t it?
That would be nice, but there’s a lot more to it. Marketing is high on the list of extra items.
I’ve learned a lot about marketing over the past year and a half. A lot of the “what” about the process. Now, I’m learning the importance of how marketing is done. How to do it with purpose. Not all over the board, wasting time and energy. Purpose that gains an audience and doesn’t burn me out in the process.
Here are a few things to help you apply your marketing plan with purpose.
Make it sustainable.
Something you can continue doing over the long haul. Once your book is out, you have to keep working to grow your audience. But you can’t keep up the pace of a two week blog tour indefinitely. Find an approach that fits with your life and pace yourself.
When it comes to social media sites, there is no end. It’s tempting to jump in to the next popular thing. But what worked for someone else, may not work for you. Spend your time, money and energy resources where your audience is, not where someone else’s audience hangs out – no matter how cool it is or how many go there. It might be nice for a one time book blast just to see what you pull in, but it will drag you down in the long run.
Every marketer out there wants his audience to engage with them. Leaving comments, sharing what they found. The golden rule has a nice application here. If you want people to leave comments, leave your own on the places you visit. People really do read through the comments, and if they like your answer, they will often follow the link…right to you. If you want people to invest in you, show yourself a wise investor in people, as well. It all will return to you at some point.
It’s not just about convincing someone to buy a book. It’s about providing something of value to help the one person in front of you. That’s where relationship happens and you make a difference in someone’s life. I think that’s what most writers want in the long run. And ironically, focusing on the one is what brings the many down the road.
It may take some trial and error, but when your practiced craft meets with purposeful marketing, you’ll have a plan that can be sustained over the long haul.
Where do you best like to meet your audience?
For more from Angela read my interview with her. Connect with Angela at www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaDMeyer or www.angeladmeyer.com
Today is the first in a new series I call Friday Feature. I thought it would be fun to interview authors and find out what their publication journey was like and wanted to offer them a free tool for marketing their debut book. Friday Feature will appear every third Friday of the month and will be a much longer post than I normally publish. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the read.
This month I’ve interviewed J.A. Marx, author of Destiny Defied, volume one of The Destiny Series, which released April 18, 2013 from Write Integrity Press.
Welcome to the blog, J.A., where passion and purpose meet. Congratulations on the publication of your first book! Let’s dive right in.
Debra: How long did it take to write your book?
J.A.: The original version took 9 months (2001). And then I learned how to write. The basic story stayed the same, but it went through a mega amount of editing. Plus I was homeschooling and that took precedence.
Debra: I love your honesty and humor! Much of what I wrote before I learned the craft is packed away in a box never to see the red of an editing pen. At what point in writing your book did you begin to look for publishers?
J.A.: I sought publishers from the very beginning. But once I learned a thing or two about writing—and realized my work was not publishable—I backed off for a while. Once Destiny actually met industry standards, I altered the angle of my pitch and the first editor to read it bought it. All aspects of the craft needed to be aligned, and that lesson took a decade for me to learn.
Debra: That’s a journey worthy of another post, J.A. I hope you’ll consider doing a guest post for me about industry standards. How did you choose the publishers you queried?
J.A.: Research. Finding agents and editors who had an interest in supernatural suspense was like digging for gold in a fishbowl. My wonderful critique group leader, author Lena Nelson-Dooley, actually connected me with Write Integrity.
Debra: How wonderful to have a published author such as Lena Nelson-Dooley in your critique group. Her work is on my bookshelf. Did you meet with acquisition editors via writer’s conferences? If so, how did that go?
J.A.: Yes. That is the best way to meet the right people. Speaking in person to editors and agents helps you realize they are real people. They make a living off good books, and they truly want you to be the author they’re seeking. Showing professionalism and courtesy goes a long way. They will remember you.
Debra: When the publisher asked for a book proposal, what did they want the proposal to include? Was it difficult to write?
J.A.: Best advice: read the submission guidelines on their website. For Destiny Defied, since I had an inside connection (recommendation from a published author), I skipped the usual query letter and sent a full proposal with a cover letter, synopsis, and the first three chapters.
The Christian Writers Guild’s elite Craftsman course prepared me to pitch my novel with competence and put together a winning proposal that included a marketing plan. My Craftsman mentor, DiAnn Mills, offered a lot of input on the proposal I sent to Write Integrity.
Debra: DiAnn Mills, another successful author. You’re very fortunate to have such strong authors supporting you. Give us a general run down on the process once your book was accepted.
J.A.: October 2012, contract signed.
January 2013, publisher began the editing process. (My editor also sent a To Do list, otherwise I would’ve been lost: set up blog tours; create a press release; prepare promotional announcement, etc.)
February – I received the edited version and made the minor changes they requested.
Mid-February – I received the final product for one last review (by then I was sick of the story. LOL).
April 18, release.
Debra: Time between acceptance and publication varies widely between publishers. Yours was quick, but I’m sure the waiting process was just as grueling. When you received your contract did you have it reviewed by a lawyer or was it straight forward and easy to understand?
J.A.: Thankfully, the contract was straight forward. I had only one question that was easily clarified via email.
Debra: What specifics did the contract cover?
J.A.:
Debra: Do you have any advice for other writers concerning contracts?
J.A.: Read it thoroughly. If it’s not straight forward and you’re not agented, find a lawyer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You have rights.
Debra: Did you work with an editor from the publishing house during the publishing process? If so, how did that go?
J.A.: I want an editor that loves my story as much as I do, and I found her. We’re on the same page. We had one or two areas of disagreement regarding the actual edits, but those were easily resolved. I love my editor, and I consider Tracy a friend.
Debra: There was a day when the publisher handled all the marketing of their books. Today, authors do a lot of their own marketing. How much of the marketing of your book are you expected to handle?
J.A.: I work with a small pub house, so she expects a lot of me. And that’s fine. I took her advice and did everything I possibly could and learned a ton along the way. It’s Tracy’s hope that all her authors cross-promote, which is awesome. But I think we need to work on that, organize better perhaps.
Debra: What did you find was the worst thing to deal with in the publishing process? What was the best?
J.A.: The worst: Stepping into the Great Unknown of marketing was very unsettling. I didn’t feel equipped to promote Destiny Defied. I needed lots of encouragement from my editor and from a couple of other authors who’ve been around the block already; their confidence rubbed off.
The best: Editing (which I love) and the Facebook party promo were highlights.
Debra: What advice do you have for writers concerning finding and gaining a publisher?
J.A.: After you’ve learned the craft and your work has gone through the gauntlet with a critique group (or critique partner): attend a conference. Sign up for an appointment with an editor you’ve researched. Smile. Tell them something wonderful about their website or blog. Then passionately pitch your well-rehearsed, 1-minute, blurb. Say ‘thank you’ at the end. Then follow through with whatever they ask you to do.
Debra: What advice do you have for writers for during the process between acceptance and release?
J.A.: Before the chaos hits, write articles/blogs related to your theme so they’re ready to release as the time draws near. Also put together some character interviews for your own blog and for others. Create a press release. Set up blog tours. Practice whatever you learned in the marketing class/book. (Randy Ingermanson has helpful information, as does Chip McGregor’s blog).
Debra: Do you have a second book in the works? A publisher already lined up?
J.A.: Yes, the suspense continues. Write Integrity is releasing Destiny Delivered, volume two of The Destiny Series. September 19, 2013. I’m psyched!
Debra: Thank you so much, J.A., for being with me and my readers today. I’ve enjoyed our time together (and learned too!). I want to again extend my invitation to do a guest post here about industry standards. I know I’m interested in hearing more and I’m sure my readers are as well. I wish you God’s best for your work as you journey forward and much success for The Destiny series. Keep us posted!
J.A.: Thank you for having me on your blog, Debra. I feel very honored.
Readers leave your comments for J.A. below. She’ll be responding today only (July 19). If you’ve published your first book this year or are slated for publication next year and would like to be considered for a Friday Feature, contact me at Deb [at] DebraLButterfield [dot] com.
Interested in purchasing Destiny Defied? Put the title into my affiliate Amazon search box in the right sidebar and you’ll help support my work in bringing you this blog. Thanks for your support!
ABOUT J.A. MARX: J.A. Marx, author/editor, resides in Texas. She has written various articles, and edits for a national healthcare e-zine. When she’s not writing, she’s working out at the gym, cooking up healthy meals, or hanging with her husband, the love of her life.
“Destiny Defied,” volume 1 in her supernatural suspense series released in April. http://amzn.to/Zh2VBZ Volume 2 “Destiny Delivered” will release in September 2013. Check out J.A.’s website www.jamarx.net Or email her at Embattledspirit@jamarx.net
ABOUT DESTINY DEFIED:
Trapped on a mysterious island, eighteen-year-old Riki finds refuge with four odd college boys. Isaac, the rugged EMT, insists no one else is around, but Riki cannot ignore her fear that someone is stalking her. Unless she finds a power truly great enough to overthrow Darkness, Riki will choose death over returning to captivity.
Lord Vétis, high priest of a cultic underground, will stop at nothing to reclaim the chosen one, but he must do so before her introduction to the real world ruins her royal destiny. Using black magic, he manipulates Riki and her self-assigned bodyguards, triggering a battle that consumes the entire island. The underground will never allow Riki to live out her dreams of a normal life…something she has never known.